Insulating material



,f6/ra ATTORNEY March 5, 1935. R. wlNsHlP INSULATING MATERIAL Filed Aug. 1, 1932 Patented Mar. 5, 1935 PATENT OFFH INSULATING MATERIAL Ross Winship, Lockport, N. Y., assgnor to The Upson Company, Lockport, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 1, 1932, Serial No. 627,210

17 Claims.

This invention relates to insulating material useful both as thermal insulation and as accoustical insulation, and also for padding or packing.

An object of the invention is the provision of improved insulating material which may be made economically from waste fibers or fibers of comparatively little value.

Another object is the provision of material lo having a soft exposed surface so that the material is useful as padding or packing material.

Still another object is the provision of insulating material simulating in some respects the characteristics of natural fur.

15 A further Objectis the provision of a soft,

i flexible insulating pad in which fibrous insulating material may be exposed, if desired, on both sides of the pad. To these and other ends the invention resides 20 in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view of a partially unravelled textile cord such as may be used in the material of the present invention, illustrating the branching fibers of the unravelled ends;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic cross section through 30 insulating material constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a similar diagrammatic view showing another embodiment of the'invention;

Fig. 4 is'a similar diagrammatic view illus- 35 trating still another embodiment of the invenion;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic cross section through another embodiment of the invention in which the fibrous insulating material is confined be- 40 tween two liner sheets;

. Fig. 6 is a simplified diagrammatic plan of a fragment of insulating material according to the present invention, showing the intertwining of cords of fairly large size, and

45 Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing cords of somewhat smaller size.

The same reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The natural fur of animals is found upon ex- 50 amination to be formed of a considerable number of long hairs which are comparatively large and stiff and which have suflicient strength to stand out to their full length, and down between or within this stand of long hairs is a much greater 55 number of shorter and smaller hairs which grow more and more dense as the hide is approached. The long and comparatively stiff hairs determine the apparent thickness of the fur and serve as a protection for the shorter and weaker hairs which determine the warmth and insulating 5 qualities of the fur to a large extent.

It is found that a material simulating certain qualities of natural fur, and serving as avery satisfactory insulating material and padding or packing material, can be formed accordingA to 10 the present invention from fibers which have been spun or woven into threads or cords, preferably in a partially unravelled condition. There is a further advantage in using fibers which have been woven into a textile fabric, and which preferably have remained for some time in a woven condition. The fibers may be, for example, waste or reclaimed fibers, thus being comparatively inexpensive and providing an economical material for manufacture of the insulating product of the present invention.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawing, there is shown somewhat diagrammatically a cord, the ends of which have been partially disintegrated or unravelled. It will be noted that the unravelled bers 10 of the cord, as well as the individual threads 11 which made up the cord 12, have a tendency to remain kinked or twisted after unravelling, tending to maintain the same somewhat spiraltwists which they were forced to assume in the cord. If the bers used for making the insulating product of this invention are derived from a textile material, the cords or threads when unravelled from the textile material will have kinks or twists as a result of having been woven, in addition to the previously mentioned kinks or twists of the fibers which result from having 'been formed into threads or cords. The use of fibers derived from threads, cords, or textile material is an important feature 40 of the present invention, since the resulting kinks or twists of the fibers are advantageous in securing a light, springy product having the fibers intertwined with each other to form a more or less occulent mass. 45

The tendency of the fibers to remain kinked or twisted may be aided by various impregnating materials. For instance, if fibers from trimmings or defective pieces of textile cloth are used, such fibers are apt to contain more or less starch or sizing or other impregnating material which will tend to maintain a permanent set or kinked or twisted condition of the fibers. Likewise, if recovered or reclaimed bers from old automobile tires are employed as a source of material, such fibers are apt to contain a small residue of rubber which assists in giving the fibers a more or less permanent set and holding them in a kinked or twisted condition. It is also an advantage if the fibers have been spun or woven into threads, cords, or textile material for some length of time, since they thenhave a more permanent set and a greater tendency to remain kinked or twisted than if they arenewly spun or woven.

Preferably the bers are not completely separated from each other but are unravelled only partially, so that a group of fibers remain somewhat spun together in the form of a thread or cord, but are more or less unravelled at their ends into smaller groups of fibers and individual fibers, as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1.

According to the present invention, the cords, threads, or pieces of cloth are shredded to convenient lengths of say an inch or so, for example, and are partially unravelled or disintegrated as above stated, in any convenient way. This may be accomplished conveniently by running the pieces of cloth or cords or threads through what is commonly known as a hammer mill, adjusting the mill so that the individual threads are only partially unravelled as explained above and so that they will not be completely separated into individual fibers. Of course some of the cords will probably become separated into the individual threads which were twisted together to form the cords, but in the great majority of cases the individual threads themselves will not be separated into the individual fibers of which they are made up, but will remain in the form of a twisted or spun bundle of fibers, usually frayed or partially unravelled at the ends, and kinked or twisted. In case cloth woven from individual threads rather than cords is used as a source of ber, the threads after being unwoven will be kinked or twisted as a result of having been woven.

, The insulating or padding material is formed from a mass of the partially unravelled fibers above described. One possible form of such insulating or padding material is shown in Fig. 2, in which there is a base 20 of any suitable rigid or flexible material, such as a sheet of kraft paper, for example, which base has a layer of adhesive 21 applied thereto. While the adhesive is still soft and sticky, a quantity of the kinked and twisted partially unravelled fibers above described is placed on the base as shown at 22, so that the fibers stick to the adhesive layer 21. If desired, the fibers themselves may have adhesive applied thereto so that the fibers are joined to each other, although it is ordinarily preferable not to afiix the fibers to each other, but simply to have the fibers fixed to the base 20 by means of the adhesive layer 21. The fibers may be laid upon the adhesive layer in any suitable manner, falling by gravity upon it or being blown by air jets against the adhesive layer or being placed in any other desired way.

When the quantity of fibers has been placed on the base, it forms a flocculent mass of kinked and twisted fibrous material of various sizes extending heterogeneously in various directions and having somewhat the appearance shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In these figures only a few fibers are shown, to avoid the confusion which would result ifit were attempted to illustrate the usual number and density of fibers customarily used. Fig. 6 shows a. few of the somewhat larger cords, while Fig. 'I illustrates somewhat smaller cords or threads. In each case, the threads or fibers are intertwined with each other in a heterogeneous iiocculent mass, the unravelled ends forming comparatively fine fibers which fill up to some extent the spaces between the larger or less unravelled portions of the material, thus simulating, in some degree, the effect of natural animal fur as described above. The less unravelled parts of the fibrous material will form the bulk or body of the insulating material and determine at least partially the thickness thereof, while the fine unravelled bers at the ends of each thread or cord will largely fill in the spaces between the larger and less unravelled cords, and greatly increase the thermal and acoustical insulating effect.

In most cases in actual use, the insulating material will be a miscellaneous mixture of larger cords such as shown in Fig. 6, and smaller threads such as shown in Fig. '7, although obviously if desired the cords and threads may be graded and the insulating material may be made of a more or less uniform size of cords or threads, if preferred.

Reverting again to Fig. 2, it is sometimes desired to treat the exposed surface of the flocculent material 22 to keep all of the fibers lying down in place, or to retain an' threads that may not be rmly attached to the adhesive 21. If this is desired, the exposed face of the fibrous material may have applied thereto a coating 23 of suitable material, such as flexible cement or adhesive. A layer of latex, for example, may be spread over the fibrous material for this purpose, and will hold down the individual fibers and threads of the material in a satisfactory manner.

In Fig. 3, there is shown a product similar to that of Fig. 2, but in which the fibrous insulating material is placed on both sides of the base instead of only on one s-de. The base is shown at 30, and as before, it may be either rigid, semirigid, or flexible. In most cases, it is preferred to apply the fibrous material to a iiexible base, such as a sheet of cloth or of kraft paper. A layer 31 of adhesive on one side of the base 30 serves to hold the fiocculent fibrous material 32, while a similar layer 33 of adhesive on the opposite side of the base 30 holds another layer 34 of the fiocculent fibrous material, formed as above described. One or both of the layers 32 and 34 may have a surface coating of adhesive or Acement similar to the layer 23 shown in Fig. 2, if desired.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3 is particularly useful as padding or packing, especially when a sheet of kraft paper or other flexible material is used as the base 30. The completed product is then fiexible and can be readily bent or folded in any direction, while at the same time both exposed faces of the product are of soft fibrous material forming an excellent padding for many purposes.

The same fibrous material may be used in composite construction material of any desired kind. For example, in Fig. 4 there is shown a composite construction material including a base 40 of relatively stiff material such as fiber board or the like, and a layer 41 of felt paper or hair felt adhesively applied to one side of the base 40, and a finishing -or facing layer 42 of any suitable material, such as rubberized cloth, applied to the top of the felt layer 41. On the bottom of the base 40 is an adhesive layer 43 and to this'is affixed a layer 44 of the fibrous material of the present' invention similar to the layers 22, 32, and 33 of Figs. 2 and 3. If desired, a surface coating 45 may be provided on the fibrous material, similar to the surface coating 23 in Fig. 2.

The composite material. shown in Fig. 4 may be used for a variety of purposes, the soft fibrous layer 44 forming a padded surface for application to a frame, for example, and also providing a considerable degree of acoustical and thermal insulation. The insulating effect is aided by the layer 41 of felt, which may be either hair felt or paper felt as desired. One possible use of this composite material is in the construction of vehicle bodies, where it may be used to form either side panels or roof panels, for example.

In some instances it may be desired to confine the fibrous material of the present invention between two liner sheets in the manner shown in Fig. 5. Here, the two liner sheets, which may be of paper, cloth, or other suitable material, are indicated at 50 and 51, and the layer of flocculent fibrous material made of partially unravelled kinked or twisted fibers is shown between the liner sheets at 52. The inner surfaces of either or both liner sheets may be coated with adhesive, if desired, similar to the adhesive coatings 21, 31, and 33 of Figs. 2 and 3, but in some instances it is found that an adhesive coating on the liner sheets is unnecessary if the two sheets be affixed to each other at intervals in any suitable manner, such as by spots of adhesive 53 extending all the way through the fibrous material and aixing one liner sheet to the other.

The brous material of all of the embodiments shown is made as above described from spun, twisted, or woven fibers which have some tendency to remain permanently kinked and twisted, thus providing a more or less springy and intertwined mass of fibers forming an excellent insulating and padding material. The individual fibers themselves may be of any suitable material so long as they have been woven, twisted, or spun so as to acquire a-tendency to remain kinked or twisted. lFor example, the bers may be of cotton, linen, hemp, or any other suitable material which has been woven, spun, or twisted, preferably for a considerable length of time before being used for the insulating material of this invention.

The term textile" is used in the appended claims in a broad generic sense, as including not only fibers, threads, and the like which have actually been woven into a textile fabric, but also any cords, threads, fibers, or the like which are suitable for weaving or might be woven into a textile material even though they may not have been actually woven.

I claim: 1. Insulating material comprising a loosely in terlaced flocculent mass of twisted textile fibers partially disintegrated but still intertwined with each other to a substantial extent.

2. Insulating material comprising a loosely interlaced mass of textile cords partially but not completely unravelled into individual threads having a natural tendency to remain kinked and twisted.

3. Insulating material comprising a loosely interlaced mass of.'.,reclaimed textile threads of appreciable length containing impregnating material tending to maintain said threads kinked and twisted.

4.Insu1ating material comprising a base; a coating of adhesive on said base, and a mat f twisted textile fibers adhering to said adhesive.

5. Insulating material comprising a base, a coating of adhesive on said base, and a mat of kinked and twisted fibers reclaimed from textile fabric adhering to said adhesive.

6. Insulating material comprising a base, a coating of adhesive on said base, and a mat of fibers adhering to said adhesive, said fibers being reclaimed and partially unravelled textile fabric fibers and having a residue of impregnating material tending to maintain them in kinked and twisted condition.

7. Insulating material comprising a layer of sheet material, adhesive on both sides of said sheet material, and a fiocculent layer of partially disintegrated textile fabric fibers loosely interlaced with each other and adhering to the adhesive on each side of said sheet material.

8. A'new article of manufacture comprising a layer of sheet material and a body of insulating material adhesively secured to each side thereof, said insulating material comprising a mass of partially unravelled previously spun textile fibers loosely interlaced with each other.

9. Construction according to claim 8 in which said textile fibers contain impregnating material tending to maintain the fibers in twisted and kinked condition.

l0. A new article of manufacture comprising a flexible sheet and a body of partially unravelled previously spun textile fibers adhesively secured t-o one side of said sheet.

11. Construction according to claim 10 in which said body has its surface remote from said sheet coated with a layer of flexible adhesive.

12. The method of making insulating material which comprises partially unravelling textile fabric to form a mass of kinked fibers, and adhesively securing said fibers in substantially unhydrated condition to a base.

13. The method of making insulating material which comprises shredding textile fibers only partially to produce a mass of fibers a substantial number of which remain at least partially intertwined with each other, and adhesively securing said fibers in substantially unhydrated condition to a base.

14. The method of making insulating material which comprises taking textile fabric woven from threads, unravelling the fabric and threads to provide a mass of kinked and twisted fibers, and forming said fibers in substantially unhydrated condition into an insulating pad.

15. The method of making insulating material which comprises subjecting textile material to the action of a hammer mill suiiiciently to unravel it only partially and to provide a mass of kinked and twisted fibers, and forming said bers into an insulating pad.

16. The method of making insulating material which comprises taking intertwisted textile fibers, partially but not completely unravelling them from each other while in a relatively dry state, and forming the partially unravelled fibers into a loose flocculent insulatingbat.

17. A new article of manufacture comprising a sheet, a loose occulent mass of originally intertwisted textile fibers which have been partially but not completely unravelled in a substantially dry, unhydrated state from each other, and adhesive connecting said occulent mass to said sheet.

ROSS WINSHIP. 

